Thanksgiving is next week already! Portion control, good nutrition habits and weight management are things many people struggle with. The average person consumes 3000-4500 calories at Thanksgiving dinner and there are approximately 230g of fat on one Thanksgiving plate! CrossFitters are no exception to this as many of us have a “healthy” appetite.

Here are some tips for being more mindful when celebrating or attending events with food:

Make half your plate veggies (green veggies preferably).Most likely you’ll be able to find a salad or green bean casserole. These foods are high in fiber and often lower in calories (though not always low-calorie because of butter or oil that’s been added to them, but lower).

Select your starches wisely. Make ¼ of your plate complex carbohydrates. There will be no shortage of potatoes, stuffing, rolls, etc. eat what you really want, but try to avoid going back for seconds (and thirds). Focus on whole grains like whole wheat bread and dinner rolls rather than white, refined grains.

Go for lean protein. Select white meat over dark meat and avoid over-processed meats such as cured ham if possible.

Choose one dessert. Pick your favorite and enjoy it or put bite sized samples of different items on a small plate.

Minimize alcohol and sugar-sweetened beverages.It’s easy to consume hundreds of calories without ever lifting your fork. Fluids do not provide the same feeling of fullness as solid foods and most people don’t adjust their calorie intake based on the calories they drink. Stick to soda water with lemon or lime (it’s calorie-free and sugar-free), a glass of wine or water. Save your calories for the good stuff!

Don’t forget to do a pre-dinner workout (the box will be open) or a post-dinner walk. Exercise is the best thing you can do if you plan to eat more than usual.

1. To a large saucepan over medium heat add 1 Tbsp. olive oil, shallot and garlic. Cook for 2-3 minutes, or until slightly browned and translucent. Turn down heat if cooking too quickly.
2. Add remaining ingredients, including the pumpkin, and bring to a simmer.
3. Bring to a boil, then turn the heat to low and simmer for about 20 minutes, until the soup has reduced and thickened slightly.
4. Puree with an immersion blender or in a stand blender until very smooth.
5. Serve as is or with Kale-Sesame topping.6. For the Kale-Sesame topping: In a small skillet over medium heat, dry toast sesame seeds for 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently until slightly golden brown. Be careful as they can burn quickly. Remove from pan and set aide. To the still hot pan, add olive oil and garlic and sauté until golden brown—about 2 minutes. Add kale and toss, then add a pinch of salt and cover to steam. Cook for another few minutes until kale is wilted and then add sesame seeds back in. Toss to coat and set aside for topping soup.
7. Leftovers keep in the fridge for up to a few days and in the freezer for up to a month or more.

1. Combine the oats, protein powder, almonds, dried fruit of your choice, and cinnamon.
2. In a separate bowl mix the peanut or almond butter, honey, almond milk, applesauce and microwave for 30 seconds or until the peanut butter is soft.
3. Combine the wet and dry ingredients.
4. Stir in the chocolate chips.
5. Spray 9×9 pan with non-stick spray and press the mixture into the pan so that the thickness of the bars will be even when cut. It will be really sticky and sometimes I spray a piece of aluminum foil with non-stick spray as well to use for pressing and flattening the mixture.
6. Refrigerate for 1 hour, cut into bars and enjoy.

More and more research is showing the link between how much people sleep and their weight. The role of sleep related to nutrition is significant! Sleep can have a tremendous impact on our food choices each day, either increasing or decreasing the likelihood that we will make good choices or get enough physical activity. People who don’t get enough sleep tend to weigh more than those who do get enough sleep each night.

There are a few ways that sleep, or lack of, can relate to weight gain. For example:

Sleep deprived people may not have enough energy to exercise. The less you sleep, the greater the sleep debt you accumulate, the more fatigued you will experience throughout the day making work and exercise a greater challenge.

Less sleep means more hours spent awake which can mean more opportunity to eat, especially for those who aren’t getting enough sleep because of stress, work or family obligations, etc. For many, stress is often a trigger for people to reach for unhealthy items or overeat.

Lack of sleep disrupts hormones that control appetitecausing some people to eat more than they otherwise would have if they were well rested. The release of growth hormone is related in part to repair processes that occur during sleep. Cortisol, a hormone affected by sleep, increases in relation to sleep deprivation. An increase in cortisol levels wrecks havoc on your body by stimulating abdominal fat formation, decreasing muscle mass, increasing sleep disruptions and impairing cognitive performance.

Fatigue decreases willpower, and for some, lack of willpower can lead to poor food choices or overeating.

How much sleep do you need?

According to the National Sleep Foundation adults (18+ years) need 7-9 hours per night. There is “no magic number” because your sleep results from two different factors that researchers are learning about: a person’s basal sleep need – the amount of sleep our bodies need on a regular basis for optimal performance – and sleep debt, the accumulated sleep that is lost to poor sleep habits, sickness, awakenings due to environmental factors or other causes. 2 Therefore, trial and error will be the best way to determine how much sleep is ideal for you.

How Nutrition Can Impact Your Performance in the Open (or any workout)

Whether or not you have participated in the open before, one element, good nutrition, remains critical for everyone who wants to achieve their peak performance and improve recovery following a workout. Nutrition can either enhance or hinder your performance. Even though Open workouts are typically just one workout per week, they should be treated like any other competition. Recovery is absolutely essential, especially if you intend to repeat any of the workouts. Remember, recovery starts with proper nutrition immediately after you finish a workout.

Here are some tips from your Block CrossFit dietitian, “Shet”, for getting the most out of your open workouts:

Tip #1:

Make nutrition as much of a priority as workouts. People often put in a tremendous amount of time in the gym each week and spend a fraction of their time in the kitchen planning and meal prepping. Emphasizing proper nutrition throughout the 5 week span can have a significant impact in one’s overall standing on the leaderboard.

Take time to grocery shop and to prepare the majority of what you eat at home. Fast food should be considered a last resort!

Plan meals and snacks ahead of time.

Aim for consistency each week, not perfection.

If you really want to step-up your nutrition, try keeping a food journal for a few days or weeks to help you identify patterns or areas of improvement.

Eat frequently throughout the day to avoid getting too hungry and ultimately making poor decisions.

Tip #2:

Promise me that you will not restrict carbohydrates on the day you intend to perform one of the Open workouts. That would make your muscles sad. That doesn’t mean eat junky carbohydrates like refined breads, cereals or sugar-sweetened beverages. Those will most likely work against you. Choose easy to digest carbohydrates like fruit or starchy veggies, whole grains, etc. Yogurt and a banana would be an example of a good pre or post-workout snack depending upon the individual. See other ideas below.

Tip #3:

Hydrate. Drink water. Add lemon, lime or fruit for a little extra flavor if you’d like, but drink it all day, every day. Even slight dehydration can have a detrimental impact on performance. Being dehydrated by just 1% can increase you heart rate by 10 beats per minute!

Tip #4:

Eat as soon as possible post-workout even if it’s just 10g of protein and 10g of carbohydrates. Recovery does NOT begin until you eat post-workout. Refuel with a mixture of protein and carbohydrates (approx.15-30g protein and 45-75g carbohydrates). Nutrition can help start to repair damaged tissues, speed muscle repair, reduce inflammation, reduce core temperature and aid in rehydration (you rehydrate better if you eat protein and carbohydrates with fluids).

Here are some pre-post workout meal ideas for competition day. Remember, nothing new on competition day! The best pre/post workout meal is one that is well tolerated!

Did you know that your body recovers so much more quickly and more effectively when you eat a combination of PROTEINand CARBS within about 45 minutespost workout? A protein shake and a banana are great, but there are a ton of other convenient options too.

Try making your own homemade Greek yogurt cup with fruit on the bottom as any yogurts in the supermarket are loaded with sugar and other additives. Some have as much as a days worth of sugar added to them! Making your own and it is so cheap and easy! All you need is a few containers and about 15-20 minutes.

Step 1: Use frozen berries (about 1 C per serving you intend to make) and cook it on medium heat for about 5-10 minutes (until much of the extra liquid is cooked off).

Step 2: Let the fruit cook and portion it into containers (you’ll have less of it since it was reduced by the cooking- about 1/2 C per serving).